Genesis chapter 14. Perhaps you've
read through this chapter, you're reading through Genesis and you
get to Genesis 14 and you kind of go, what in the world is going
on here? But I think as we see verses
1 through 17 actually play an important role when we understand
Melchizedek. So Genesis chapter 14, we'll
begin reading at verse 1. And it came to pass in the days
of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Ariok, king of Elessar, and Kedorlaomer,
king of Elam, and Tidal, king of nations, that they made war
with Bera, king of Sodom, Bersha, king of Gomorrah, Shinnab, king
of Adma, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, that is,
Zor. And all these joined together in the valley of Sidim, that
is, the Salt Sea. Twelve years they served Kedorlaomer,
and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth
year of Kedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him came
and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Qurnayim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in
Shaveh-Qiryathayim, and the Horites in their mountains of Seir, as
far as Al-Puran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned
back and came to Anmishpat, that is, Kadesh, and attacked all
the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites, who dwelt
in Hazazon-Tamar. And the king of Sodom, the king
of Gomorrah, the king of Adma, the king of Zeboiim, and the
king of Bela, that is, Zor, went out and joined together in the
battle in the Valley of Sidim against Kedorlaomer, king of
Elam, titled king of nations, Amraphel, king of Shinar, and
Ariak, king of Elessar, four kings against five. Now the valley
of Siddam was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom
and Gomorrah fled. Some fell there, and the remainder
fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods
of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their
way. They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom,
and his goods, and departed. Then one who had escaped came
and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees
of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Einar,
and they were allies with Abram. Now when Abram heard that his
brother was taken captive, he armed his 318 trained servants
who were born in his own house and went in pursuit as far as
Dan. He divided his forces against
them by night. He and his servants attacked
them and pursued them as far as Hoba, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods
and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as
the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out
to meet him at the valley of Shaveh, that is, the king's valley,
after his return from the defeat of Keterlehomer and the kings
who were with him. Then Melchizedek, king of Salem,
brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of God Most
High. And he blessed him and said,
Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and
earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your
enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all.
Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons and
take the goods for yourself. But Abram said to the king of
Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord God most high, the
possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing from
a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything
that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich,
except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of
the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Let them take
their portion. Amen. Well, just a bit of context
before we jump right in here into Genesis chapter 14. Genesis
chapter 11 verse 27 begins the story of Abraham as we look at,
or as we see in Genesis 11, Abram. We see that he's from the line
of Terah. And what's interesting, the writer
wants us to see something when he describes the descendants
in chapter 11 verse 30, but Sarai was barren, she had no children. And then in chapter 12, we see
these great promises that are given to Abraham. Get out of
your country from your family and from your father's house
to a land I will show you, and I will make you a great nation.
I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be
a blessing. And so Abraham expresses faith
in God and goes out and comes to the land of Canaan. But then
in chapter 13, We see this is where Abram actually inherits
the land of Canaan. And there's a contrast in 13
between Abram and Lot. We see Abram's generosity. He
says, because the livestock are too great for both Lot and Abram
to share, so Abram says, Lot, look and take what you wish.
Now Lot should have deferred back to Abram, but he doesn't.
He looks with his eyes, and he sees the valleys of Sodom and
Gomorrah, the plains of Jordan, and he goes and picks that. So
we see Abram's generosity, Lot's wicked choice, but then God gives
Abram the land of Canaan at the end of verse 13. And so then
we come to Genesis chapter 14. Now, some of the major themes
we see in the life of Abraham are seed and land. And humanly
speaking, when we look at God's promises to Abram, they don't
look very promising, do they? We see a barren woman. We see
inhabitants in the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
and many others as well. We see Lot potentially looking
to take the land, but he chooses something else. But now there's
a new obstacle in Genesis 14, and that is war. As one writer says, Abraham continues
to face conflicts and temptations that test his faith in God's
promises for this land. But you see, Genesis 14 is very
much placed in its proper spot. Abram dwells, finally inherits
the land at the end of 13, and then something of international
importance sweeps past Abram's tent. And the primary question
that the author wants us to think about as we go through the text
is this. Who is the king? Or perhaps we
could ask, who is the possessor of heaven and earth? Who is the
one who reigns supreme? That is what the author wants
us to answer or wants us to see. So we're going to seek to answer
that question, who is the king, under three main headings. First
of all, we're going to look at the battle of the surrounding
nations, verses 1 through 12. Secondly, the bravery of Abram
in verses 13 through 16. And lastly, the blessing of Melchizedek
in verses 17 through 24. So the battle, bravery, and blessing. So let us first look then at
the battle of the surrounding nations. Notice the setting of
the battle in verses 1 through 4. And it came to pass in the
days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, and the other kings, focusing
on Keterleomer, there's lots of names there to mention several
times, but that they made war with Bera, king of Sodom, Bersha,
king of Gomorrah, and the other kings who were with them. So
we see that it's the primary king is Kedorlaomer. We see we
know that from verse 4. 12 years they served Kedorlaomer
and in the 13th year they rebelled. So the reason that Kedorlaomer
makes war with these kings is because these weaker kingdoms,
if you will, of Sodom and Gomorrah Typically, we're supposed to
pay tribute. We're supposed to give honor
to Kedar Leomor as the supreme king. They rebel against him,
and thus Kedar Leomor goes to teach them a lesson about who
is the king of the known world at this time. Now, if you're
reading your Bibles, and perhaps you never noticed as I didn't
until I read the commentaries, this is the first mention of
war in scripture. This is the first mention of
a battle in the Bible. In a lot of ways, it is World
War I according to the biblical writers. And perhaps there is
an increase or a further intensification of the Tower of Babel. In fact,
We saw one of the kings was the king of Shinar, and in verse
2 of Genesis 11, And it came to pass, as they journeyed from
the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt
there. What do they do at Babel? They
try to find equality with God. Now, so God spreads them, God
scatters them about the world. Now these ones who they scatter
and must find are seeking to gain territory, are seeking to
have dominion over the known world. So it's Kedor and his
band of kings versus Berah, namely Sodom, and his kings. But now, one thing we can see
here with the names of the kings that will come to play when we
talk about Melchizedek is the names of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Berah and Bershah. The king of wickedness is Berah,
and the king of evil is Berah, and the king of wickedness is
Bershah. And in chapter 13 of Genesis,
we see a description of Sodom. Verse 13, but the men of Sodom
were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. In a lot of
ways, we're foreshadowing Genesis 19, when God would bring judgment
upon Sodom and Gomorrah. But nonetheless, in the setting
here, we see the battle between Keter, Laomer, and Sodom at the
Valley of Sidim, which is the Salt Sea. And the reason for
this is because these ones who were supposed to be subject to
Keterlehomer are rebelling against him. Now, perhaps we could see
something very interesting as well as we think about Lot. In
a lot of ways, these are the Lot narratives as we go from
13 to 19. But there's that in-between of
the covenants made with Abram in Genesis 15 through 17. But
you see, when Lot chose to go dwell in the plains of the Jordan,
he dwelt in Zor. It's not quite Sodom. But then,
so he, sorry, not quite Sodom, but nonetheless, he saw it with
his eyes and saw this place that is lush. But then we see that
this place that is lush has become a war zone, a place of battle,
a place of strife. So there is a connection between
chapter 13. It's placed here for a reason. So that's verses one through
four, the setting. of the battle. Then we kind of
see this interlude in verses 5 through 7, not even interlude,
but further description of Kedorlaomer's might, of Kedorlaomer's power,
because it goes on to describe all these other men that he overtook,
the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, and the Horites in their mountain
as far as Sir. What's the author trying to highlight
for us? You see, the Rephaim, the Susim, and these others were
mighty warriors. So in a lot of ways, the writer
is giving us rising action. In a lot of ways, he's showing
us the might of Kedorlaomer. Humanly speaking, Kedorlaomer
is the one who rules the world today. so to speak, humanly speaking. He is the one who has might.
He is the one who has power. So how is it that we're going
to deal with Kedor Laomer? It's the focus on the rising
action, the power and the ferocity of this one, of Kedor Laomer. He is mighty. He is powerful.
He's not some king that you mess with. If you rebel against him,
he is going to crush you quickly and efficiently. And so that's
the point of verses five through seven. It's showing us how Keterlehimer
is mighty, is powerful, is someone you don't want to mess with. And so then we return to the
battle in verses eight through 12, and notice what happens.
It just further, it re-describes for us who the kings are. Kings
of Sodom versus Keterlehimer at the Valley of Sidim, the Dead
Sea, which is the Dead Sea. Four against five of them. And
then notice what happens in verse 10. Now, the valley of Sidim
was full of asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah
fled. See, their fleeing implies that
Kedorlaomer is routing them. Perhaps they walked into the
battle and realized how strong he was, and perhaps turned around
right away. It doesn't say that. Or perhaps
they were being routed, and so these guys wanted to get away
from the might of Kedorlaomer. And so they flee, they run, but
nonetheless they still meet these asphalt pits. They fall into
these pits that were primarily used for concrete. And perhaps
we see God's providence in this. We see God's working in this.
He's the one over all things. And as we'll see very soon, the
Lord is not mentioned in this text until verse 18. The Lord
is not mentioned until Melchizedek comes on the scene, but nonetheless,
we see he is still the one operating over all things, and even here
we see that Kedorlaomer routes Sodom and Gomorrah, and verse
11, they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their
provisions and went their way. See, the point again isn't so
much the battle, but the strength and might of this one king. Who
is this one? Who is the king? Right now it's
looking like Kedor Laomer. But notice further information
as well in verse 12. They also took Lot, Abram's brother's
son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed." You
see, as I was explaining before, in 13, Lot dwelled in Zor. In 14, Lot now dwells in Sodom. And what it highlights for us
is usually when one enters into sin, the heinous sins don't happen
overnight, do they? It's perhaps akin to what our
brother said on Sunday mornings. Peter's three naps preceded his
three denials. So Lot's wicked choice in verse
13 preceded certainly preceded his dwelling in Sodom and Gomorrah,
but also even further preceded his depravity with respect to
his daughters at the end of 19. Lot's wicked choice here precedes
all those other things. He dwells in Sodom. He dwells
in there, but we even see here that the fact that he is taken
is going to incite Abram to come and help, Abram to come and engage
in battle. But the focal point certainly
is Keter-Elam, or that's one aspect, but it's also the fact
that Lot has been taken by this mighty king. Lot has been taken
by this powerful one. So what we see here then, in
a lot of ways, both with, from Babel to war, and with Lot to
Sodom, we see the aggressive and progressive nature of sin,
don't we? You know, sin, in the Christian
life, as we progress forward, by God's grace and mercy, when
we talk about backsliding, it's not as though we're just sitting
there. It's not as though we're just standing there. It's like the
river. We need to be swimming upriver. As soon as we stop,
we're going to be floating back down that river. But we see here,
even here, these men, the aggressive nature. As one brother says,
this is the first time war is mentioned in the Bible. Tribes
and nations now war against each other, which is an intensification
of sin and confusion from Babel. These ones who were once united
are now battling against one another for dominion over the
earth. We see the wickedness of sin,
we see the power of sin, but nonetheless there is still one
who is more powerful. So that's the battle of the surrounding
nations. Let us look secondly at the bravery
of Abram in verses 13 through 16. Notice what he says in verse
13. Then one who had escaped came
and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees
of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner,
and they were allies with Abram. You see, unlike Lot who's moving
from Zohar to Sodom, Abram is still dwelling where he should
be dwelling. He's still living in the place
that is his home, the place that he inherited in verse 18 of chapter
3. Then Abram moved his tent and
dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron,
and built an altar there to the Lord. But in chapter 14, verse
13, he's still dwelling there. So this one who's escaped, this
one who has fled the army, who hasn't fallen into one of these
pits, comes to Abram and tells him all that happens. But notice
something very interesting as well. Not only does Abram dwell
at the terebinth trees, but he's called the Hebrew. The ethnicity
is, and he's given an ethnic designation apart from the other
peoples in the land. He is the Hebrew and he dwells
by the terebinth trees, the place that God gave to him. And notice we see even here,
that he makes a treaty with these, the Amorites, or Mamre the Amorite,
and Eshcol and Einar, that's what, then, they were allies
means, it's a treaty. But then notice what happens
when he hears, notice his response in verse 14, when he hears that
his nephew has been captured. Now, when Abram heard that his
brother was taken, he armed his 318 trained servants. You see, perhaps you and I would
go, you know what? Lot made his wicked choice. And
now he's facing the consequences for his actions. But in Abram,
there is no hesitation. He gathers these men for war. 318 trained servants. And even the fact that he has
318 trained servants born in his house highlights the wealth
that God has blessed him with. But even then, 318 might seem
like a lot, but humanly speaking, it's no match for four kings.
In a lot of ways, it's one king, Abram, versus four kings. So who would win? So in a lot of ways, we see an
exhibition of Abram's faith. My brother, my nephew's been
taken, I'm going. And so what does he do? He raises
these ones for battle and they go in pursuit as far as Dan. Now, when you think about where
the battle actually was, that's at the Dead Sea. Now, you know
where Dan is, right? We use the saying from Dan to
Beersheba to describe the length or the totality of something.
You see, Dan was the northernmost part of Israel. The Salt Sea
is the southernmost part of Israel. That means Keter Lamer has already
got a good head start on him, so they have to pursue them in
a long distance. In a lot of ways, with the whole
writing, the whole text, the whole narrative, it's like the
writers stacking the deck against Abram. In a lot of ways, against
God. 318 versus four kings and their
armies. They have to go as far as Dan.
They would be tired and weary and even go as far as Damascus. So notice then what happens in
verse 15. He divided his forces against
them by night. And he and his servants attacked
them and pursued them as far as Hobo, which is north of Damascus.
So they even engage in military tactics. They even plan out what
they must do. Certainly God is with him, God
aids him, God helps him, but nonetheless, they still engage
in military planning. They attack at night, because
it would be better, and they divide their forces to take them
out. But then notice, the result in
verse 16. So he brought back all the goods
and also brought back his brother-in-law and his goods as well as the
woman and the people. You know, in this whole narrative,
we don't really see a lot of battling, do we? We don't actually
see a lot of descriptions of the warfare. It's usually they
go to battle and one guy wins. And that was the case with Keter
Lamer over Sodom and Gomorrah. It's the case here with Abram
over Keter Lamer. They just go to battle, they
defeat them, and they come back with the goods. He brings back
all the goods and also brought back his brother-in-law and his
goods, as well as the woman and the people. You see, certainly
the goods are important, but even here, the fact that the
people are brought back as well. There is brutality in ancient
Near Eastern warfare. These people would have been
slaves. They would have served these kings. They would have
been treated like nothing. So we see the fact that the multitude
at which Abram saved these people. And even here we see two instances
where Lot's welfare is restored because of Abram. Here with war,
and we'll see later with Sodom as well, but that's a bit of
foreshadowing. But nothing about the battle,
only that Abram succeeded. In a lot of ways here, we do
see the faith of Abram in the midst of certain defeat, don't
we? We see the faith of Abram even as he grows more and more
in his faith. Because there are some instances
where he doesn't seem to have a lot of faith, does he? You
know, God has just given him the promises that he would make
him a great nation in Genesis 12, and then he goes into Egypt.
And then he does that deceitful thing, saying that his wife would
probably be killed. So he lacks a bit of faith as
he leaves the Promised Land, yet God still blesses him. God
still protects him. God still delivers him. Then in 13, we see an increase
of faith. in the fact that he says, Lot,
you pick. God is the one who will give
me this land. He trusts in God to help him. And then even here,
he's willing to go to death for the sake of Lot, even perhaps
putting in jeopardy the promises of God, but nonetheless he trusts
in his God to help him and strengthen him, knowing that the promises
that God gave to him in Genesis 12 are sure. And perhaps he used a lot of
the ways in which God delivered him as a reminder of God's goodness
to him. God delivered him from Egypt. God, as well, gave him the land
of Canaan in verse 13. And even here, he knows that
God will protect him. God aids him. God still helps
him. And so we see here, Abram remembered God's promises even
through these trials, which is, in a lot of ways, contrasting
with Lot. It's a comparison and contrast with what Lot does versus
what Abram does. Abram looks by faith, not by
sight, as Lot did. So Abram looks by faith. We see the strength of our dear
forefather Abram as he looks to his God for strength and aid.
By no means is Abram perfect, but nonetheless, he is that Old
Testament figure who is the epitome of faith, looking to his God,
certainly in saving faith, but trusting in his God daily. So
we see that in the midst of this great battle. So that's the bravery
of Abram. Let us look lastly then at the
blessing of Melchizedek in verses 17 through 24. I think 17, I
know in the New King James it splits up 17 and 18, I think
17 should go with verses 18 through 24. Because the writer is going
to contrast some kings here. He's going to contrast the king
of Sodom's response to Abram's victory with Melchizedek's response
to Abram's victory. So notice in 17, the king of
Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh, that is,
the king's valley, after his return from the defeat of Keterlehemor,
and the kings who were with him. But, you know, we see here the
introduction to Sodom. Sodom is going to speak in verses
21-22, but we see he comes empty-handed. You know, he should have known
better. You know, the greater king is supposed to receive tribute
from the lesser king, but Sodom doesn't bring anything. And as
we'll see in 21 through 24, he makes an unrighteous demand at
the hands of Abram. He comes empty-handed with his
posse, doesn't pay tribute when he actually should do that. But notice the contrast with
Sodom and Melchizedek. Then Melchizedek, king of Salem,
brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of the God
Most High. Now, remember I talked about
how the king of Sodom and Gomorrah were wickedness and evil. Well,
Melchizedek is king of righteousness. That's what his name means. And
not only does it highlight how he's a righteous king, but he's
also king of Salem, that is, the king of peace. Perhaps it's
near Jerusalem. He brings out bread and wine. He actually brings out something
for these wearied and famished men who just engaged in battle.
And bread and wine is probably a shorthand for describing a
royal banquet. You know, perhaps akin to when
the troops will return for battle and there's a great banquet celebrating
their victory. In this instance, Melchizedek
brings out bread and wine as physical blessings for these
wearied soldiers. And so we see with Melchizedek,
we see a priest who brings out bread and wine, who acknowledges
God, whereas Sodom wants reward from the kings of the world.
So there's a comparison between the two. But notice how Melchizedek
is called the priest of God Most High. This is the first time
God is mentioned in the text. This is the first time God is
found in the text, and God Most High will be repeated several
times in these following verses. And notice he was a priest after
the God Most High, that is, he acted on behalf of the people
to God. There's a significance of that
we'll talk about in just a moment, but he's called God Most High. And notice what he does in 19.
He blesses Abram and he says, You see, there is a significance with this word God Most High,
El Elion. It signifies that God is the
one who is exalted high above everything. God is the one who
is exalted high above every king. So if we're answering that question,
who is the king? It is God Most High who reigns
supreme over all the other kingdoms of the earth. Kingdoms rise and
kingdoms fall, but God is the God Most High. And in a lot of
ways, this term, El Elyon, God Most High, is used with respect
to God as sovereign over all. Psalm chapter 7. Psalm chapter 7, verse 17. I will praise the Lord according
to His righteousness. I will sing praises to the name
of the Lord Most High. And it comes in the context of
God delivering His people from their enemies. He is sovereign
over all things. We can even see that in Daniel
chapter 7, verse 25, when he prophesies about those four beasts,
those four kingdoms. And he describes God as what?
God Most High. He is King over all. And there
are other places as well where God is described as God Most
High. So you see the importance of
why we have this narrative. Who is the King over all? It
is God Most High. And Melchizedek recognizes this. He knows this, which is why he
blesses Abraham, gives glory to the God who should receive
glory. God Most High. And even further,
possessor of heaven and earth. The pagan gods did not possess
heaven and earth. And perhaps even here, as Calvin
highlights, he's distinguishing God Most High from the god of
pagans. As the maker, he has the right
to dispose of all things. He is God Most High, and as verse
20 says, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. Who is the true King? King is
mentioned 28 times in this chapter. That is the focus. That is the
point. That is why these narratives
go together. While they're seemingly confusing,
when you think through it and look about what the writer is
doing, it's highlighting who reigns supreme overall. They're
mentioned 28 times. There are five kings in Canaan.
There are four in the surrounding cities with Keter, Lamar, and
Mesopotamia. There's Abram, who acts kind
of like a king. There's Melchizedek, and then
there's God as well. So it's important in light of
these political leaders vying for power. God is the one. God is the one who reigns supreme.
And Melchizedek and Abram both believe in the same God who is
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And notice Abram's response in
verse 20. And he gave him a tithe of all. That is Abram gave Melchizedek
a tithe of all. You see, Abram recognizes that
God is the superior king. And Abram is giving tithe and
tribute to God Most High. And in an interesting sort of
way, he does it from the plunder that he's taken. Kedorlaomer
and Sodom are giving tithe to God Most High. They are giving
tribute to the true and the living God. But it's Abram who gives
tithe with the plunder that he's taken from them. But there's
something very important we must understand with respect to this
tithe. And I think the writer to the
Hebrews explains this well for us in Hebrews chapter 7, verses
10 and 11. Hebrews chapter 7 verses 10 and
11, or even at verse 9. Even Levi, who received tithes,
paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still
in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. Therefore,
if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, what further
need was there that another priest should rise according to the
order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order
of Aaron? What's he saying here? He's saying
the priesthood of Levi through Abraham is giving tithe to Melchizedek. The imperfect priesthood of Levi
is giving tithe to the perpetual priesthood of Melchizedek. Melchizedek,
brothers and sisters, is a type of the coming Christ. He is the
one that Abram is pointing forward to, that perpetual priesthood,
that eternal priesthood. And so, in a lot of ways, In
a lot of ways, Melchizedek is a Christ-like figure. But you see, the writer in Genesis,
the way he highlights that for us is he does not give Melchizedek
a genealogy. You see, in the book of Genesis,
we see many genealogies. We see many lineages. Abram begot
so-and-so. Abram, well, we'll see Abram
begot so-and-so. Or Terah begot so-and-so. But with Melchizedek, a major
figure, we don't see that. And the writer to the Hebrews
explains that for us as well in 7 verses 1 through 3. For
this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God,
who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and
blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth, part of all first
being translated king of righteousness, then also king of Salem, meaning
king of peace, without father, without mother, without genealogy,
having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like
the sons of God, remains a priest continually. So it's not as though
Melchizedek was not an actual man. But what the writer is trying
to highlight is Melchizedek is kind of an eternal figure, isn't
he? He's a Christ-like figure. He
has no beginning. He has no end. That is what the
writer is trying to highlight for us in Genesis chapter 14.
And then what the writer to the Hebrews then interprets for us
in Hebrews chapter 7. be. That's why he has no father
and no mother, no genealogy, neither beginning of days nor
end of life. And as the writer of the Hebrews
goes on to explain, he quotes Psalm 110, the Lord has sworn,
I will not relent, you are a priest forever according to the order
of Melchizedek. So you see, even Abram here is
giving tithe to the true king. Abram here is giving tithe to
the greatest king, who is the king, it is God Most High. And
not only is it God Most High, it is Christ Almighty, the priest
after the order of Melchizedek. That's the climax, brothers and
sisters. But then in verses 21 through 24, we kind of see an
anti-climax, if you will. We see a Sodom's wicked response. Verse 21. Now the king of Sodom
said to Abram, give me the persons and take the goods for yourself. he should be giving tribute to
the true and living God. He should be recognizing who
the true and living God is, but it's not his authority to even
request this demand. For in this instance, Abram is
the one who is over him. But notice Abram's response in
verse 22. But Abram said to the king of
Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the
Possessor of heaven and earth, repeating what Melchizedek said,
that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and
that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should
say, I have made Abram. So he repeats the fact that he
swears, actually, when he says, I've raised my hand, he's making
an oath. I have sworn by the Lord Most
High that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal, that
is, from the least of the spoil, that I will not take anything
that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich. This is the proper response. He takes nothing. He recognized
that it's the Lord who aided him, not Sodom. He didn't want
to be under Sodom, if you will. He wanted to be under God Most
High. So that's why he even here leaves
the spoils of battle because he does not want to be under
Sodom. This wicked king who asks something
out of authority that he does not have to ask. And I think
this contrasts with chapter 12 again. Abram goes into Egypt,
he lacks faith during that time, he makes this deceitful plan,
yet God blesses him. But then we come here, in the
spoils of battle, and he leaves the spoils, because it is God
who he wishes to have. It is God who he desires. He
wants to glorify his God and not glorify Sodom. So he doesn't
take anything except for the portions of the men who are with
him, of Einar, Eshkol, and Mamre, let them take their portions. So even though it's an anti-climax,
it's still a climax to the fact that he's glorifying God. He
glorifies God in paying tithe to Melchizedek, but he also glorifies
God in recognizing that he is under God and not the kings of
the world. So we see here, war cannot thwart
the promises of God. And notice what God says to Abram
in Genesis 15-1. After these things, the word
of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not be afraid,
Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly
great reward. He finds his reward in God Almighty. And as one writer says, The story
actually builds to the climactic recognition of God, unmentioned
previously in this scene as the battle's true victor and the
subsequent blessing and affirmation of Abraham by the priest King
Melchizedek. But in an anti-climax to this
tremendous scene of worship, the pagan king of Sodom, speaking
disrespectfully to Abraham, tries to assert his non-existent authority
and tempt Abraham with plunder. But faithful Abraham, cannot
be dissuaded from glorifying God. God is sovereign over all
things, and that's what you and I must take away from this. He
reigns supreme. Kingdoms rise and fall, but he
is over those kingdoms as well. He is God most high, and he will
make his enemies a footstool according to that same Psalm
110. And we even see here he's faithful
to his promises with Abraham. He's faithful to protect Abraham
Well, humanly speaking, it doesn't look like the promises of Abraham
are going to come true. God is bringing about his promises,
for he is faithful, he is sovereign, and he is the one who rules the
earth, and he is the one who has dominion over all the earth. But thankfully it's not just
in the big things, it's in our lives as well. He is the one
who helps us, and aids us, and strengthens us. Perhaps we have
times where we lack faith. Can we not look back in our own
lives when God has been faithful, and may that help us, and aid
us, increase our faith? Can we not look to the Word of
God, where it describes His greatness, it describes His faithfulness,
and take courage in these things? If you're like me, sometimes
you read these things, and you go, and something happens, and
you forget those things all over again. we constantly need to
be reminded of God as sovereign Lord over all. And perhaps we
can say with the psalmist, certainly in Psalm 46, a mighty fortress
is our God, a bulwark never failing. But also the great words in Psalm
47, Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples. Shout to God with
the voice of triumph. For the Lord Most High is awesome.
He is a great king over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples
under us and the nations under our feet. He will choose our
inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob, whom he loves. God
has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises. Sing praises to our King, sing
praises. For God is the King of all the
earth. Sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the people have
gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the
shields of the earth belong to God. He is greatly exalted. Well, in conclusion, brothers
and sisters, who is the king over all the earth? Who possesses
heaven and earth? It is God Most High. Well, let us pray. O Lord God Almighty, we thank
you that you are the Lord of heaven and earth. We thank you
that you reign supreme over all things. We thank you that you
are the possessor of heaven and earth, and your dominion is over
all. May we look to you. May you help
us and increase our faith and trust in you, for you are a great
and good God. You are God most high. We thank
you that you are defeating our enemies. You are helping us,
and aiding us, and strengthening us with our battles with ourself,
battles with the world, and battles with the devil. but help us take
courage knowing that you will make your enemies a footstool.
And we thank you that you do this through the proclamation
of the gospel, through the accompanying of that with the Holy Spirit,
how the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of your people. We
pray that your kingdom would come, O God, and we pray that
your gospel would go forth into all the earth, that your name
might be proclaimed in all the earth, and that you might be
glorified in all things. And we pray these things in the
name of Christ. Amen.
